Posted on Monday, 12 September 2022

Where is Afitos?

Afitos (also known as Athitos) is a beautiful Halkidiki village, located to the South East of Thessaloniki Airport, with a transfer time of around 45 minutes following a 3 hour flight from London Gatwick.

 

Afitos Village

The village is very quaint, with a central square where locals and tourists gather outside the pretty Agios Demitrios Church and then head off to the little roads and pathways which lead to a variety of shops, bars and restaurants.

One path in particular leads downwards to an area known as 'The Rocks' where not only is there a beautiful view of the bay and beach below, but a number of restaurants where the view can be enjoyed whilst dining.

Leading from this area is a short cut for pedestrians to make their way to the beach, down a mixture of steps and steep paths.

It is quite a daunting sight at first, but the descent is easily and quickly negotiated.

For anyone with breathing difficulties or poor fitness, it would be quite a task and travelling down by road would be better as the slope is gradual, but just remember to be mindful of traffic and the return journey up to the square!

Once at the beach, there are a number of areas where visitors can either settle on their own towels, or on sun beds provided by the local restaurants.

 

Afitos Beach Restaurants

The sun beds provided by the local restaurants was always our preference as the restaurants don't charge a daily rate for the sun beds, they only ask that you order drinks from them which are slightly overpriced but reasonable, bearing in mind a sun bed would cost a great deal more to hire.

These Afitos restaurants also provide music whilst you bathe and relax, with excellent and very polite waiter / waitress service, where nothing is too much trouble.

The food is both excellent and very reasonably priced, which counters the additional cost for the few drinks a visitor may have.

 

Is Afitos Beach Sandy?

The beach is a mixture of sand and pebbles, therefore, if you do go for a wander bare footed, it's worth taking some sand shoes with you so that you can continue your walk along the beautiful coast line, looking upwards towards the bars and restaurants which overlook the bay.

 

Afitos Beach Hotel

There is a hotel situated down in the beach area, but it would be worthwhile checking before staying on whether a facility is provided to take residents to and from the village when it is dark.

A drive to the village from the beach would take no more than 2 minutes, which should provide a good perspective on the area for any potential visitors.

Accommodation in Afitos Village

If a visitor wishes to stay in the village, there are numerous rooms and apartments for rent.

Located at the top of the village with easy access to all areas, including the beach, is the Achtis Hotel.

 

Achtis Hotel Halkidiki Reviews

The Achtis Hotel consistently scores 5 stars on Trip Advisor.

Having travelled a great deal on business and for pleasure, it is one of the best hotels we have stayed in over the years.

At first, we were a little wary of all the positive comments on Trip Advisor and just assumed they were made by very loyal guests who return year after year.

How wrong we were, as guests do return each year, but for many who stayed at the same time as us, it was their first experience.

 

Achtis Hotel Design

The Achtis Hotel in Afitos is set in a beautiful oasis with 35 rooms of varying sizes to suit any requirements and budget.

All rooms face the swimming pool, which means there are only rooms on one side of the corridors.

With only a few rooms on each of the 3 floors in both blocks, it means corridor noise disturbance of doors banging and people talking was almost non existent from our own experience.

 

Achtis Hotel Rooms

All rooms have a balcony of a good size and the balcony doors are well insulated from outside noise in the pool area, especially if a lie in is your preference.

Our room was spotlessly clean and all the furniture was in first class condition, with a bathroom which was just wonderful in upkeep and design.

All rooms have a fridge and tea / coffee making facilities, with very good air conditioning which can be set to the guest's preference.

We also had a very good television in our room which provided a variety of channels, with BBC News and Sky News being accessible if a guest needs to be kept up to date on current affairs, or they can simply leave it switched off for the duration of their holiday.

 

Ground Floor Rooms at the Achtis Hotel

Rooms on the ground floor level are accessed from the pool area where each room has privacy glass installed in the doors, as well as an outside seating area within a little garden which looks very quaint, meaning the pool area can also be enjoyed from the guests' own balcony.

 

Achtis Hotel Facilities

Wi Fi is free and available throughout the hotel area, with a full signal at all times.

There is a gym with changing facilities, where there is excellent equipment in good condition to suit most needs, plus a small business area where printers are available to print return flight details if required.

The pool area is a very good size with sun loungers, sun sofas and bamboo shades draped in linen, which not only looks very chic, but it provides decent shade.

There are also communal areas adorned by linen curtains which adds a very nice finishing touch, where those who do not wish to sunbathe can enjoy the shade, sitting on rattan sofas and chairs, which are extremely comfortable.

To one side of the pool area is the office and reception area, plus a tiny shop which sells honey and jam, all produced on site.

The bar and restaurant are also located in this area, which is the hub of all activities at the Achtis Hotel.

The staff are always very welcoming, happy and above all, genuinely considerate in ensuring a guest's experience at this hotel is the best they will ever encounter.

Even late at night on the BBQ evening, all the staff, even the chef, joined guests in helping them learn Greek dancing, but it was perfectly fine if guests preferred not to join in.

It was not only a very reasonably priced and fantastic evening, but we got to know some very nice people who were a mixture of both guests and hotel staff

Achtis Hotel Gardens

As well as the pool, the communal areas also overlook the garden where there are numerous additional sun loungers, thoughtfully spaced out to provide both privacy and seclusion in a beautiful setting of Palm and Olive trees, with flower borders.

Within the gardens is a pond area which can be crossed by a tiny bridge where guests can watch the loyal Koi fish.

There are a few ducks which are very curious and entertaining, plus peacocks which roam around the gardens.

All the ducks and peacocks are used to living with humans, they therefore weren't a problem or a nuisance at all. In fact, when trying to attract their attention, they played hard to get!

Food at the Achtis Hotel

The food at the Achtis Hotel was both very reasonably priced and fantastic quality, whatever the meal, breakfast, lunch, dinner or even a snack, you can dine wherever you want and the staff will gladly accommodate your requirements.

 

Overall Experience of the Achtis Hotel, Afitos

Each evening, we would watch the staff from our balcony as they cleaned the pool area thoroughly and I mean thoroughly, whilst the gardener kept the garden in tip top shape.

We were rather sceptical about this hotel when we booked, but the whole experience delivered one of the best holidays we have ever had and we could not fault it from our own perspective.

Whatever Magda, Lilia and all the team have in them, they should bottle it and make a fortune.

 

Restaurants in Afitos

Soboro Restaurant, Afitos

The food was so good at the Achtis Hotel, we did opt to eat there a number of times, but close by is the Soboro restaurant where we booked a table for a jazz evening.

We didn't realise it was also a Trip Advisor award winner, but the menu was brilliant, the food exquisite and the hosts couldn't have been friendlier and accommodating.

It's located on the junction with the Taxi rank and can be easily overlooked as visitors arrive, but it's certainly worth visiting.

 

Pementzo Restaurant, Afitos

One of the other family-run Afitos restaurants we visited, Pementzo, we met the owners and the chef, before viewing the sea food and then making our choice on what to eat.

We then sat on a lovely balcony with only a small number of tables, enjoyed the view of the village whilst taking in the sweet scent of flowers growing in the street below.

The food and welcoming warmth was a very nice experience.

 

We could not fault the friendliness in any restaurants we visited in Afitos, but Soboro and Pementzo in particular delivered an all-round excellent experience.

 

Afitos Bars

As with most tourist destinations, there are a myriad of bars to enjoy in Afitos. Some of the most popular bas in Afitos include Spitaki Cocktail Bar, Lotos Beach Bar, Notos All Day Café Bar and Lime Beach Bar; all of which afford spectacular sea views.

 

Afitos Halkidiki Review

We would thoroughly recommend Afitos to anyone who is considering a holiday in the area, as it's delightful. However, please be wary of other tourist led resorts nearby, which may not deliver the same overall experience.

If you would like to stay at the Achtis Hotel, you can book through varying holiday companies, but you can also book directly at www.achtishotel.com.

 

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